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This concerns Alfred Willis, born in Barham in Kent in 1824, but whose family emigrated to the USA in 1835, settling in West Newbury, Massachusetts. from THE COMMON SCHOOL JOURNAL Court of Common Pleas, March Term, 1842 at Salem Judge Warren presiding COMMONWEALTH VS WILLIAM WEBSTER This was an appeal from decision of a magistrate, who had imposed a fine …

Edward Betts Hopper was born in around 1799 in Dover, Kent into a Quaker family – his parents were Robert Hopper and Abigail Betts. Parts of his life are shrouded in mystery – indeed, nothing is known of Edward’s early life – the first official record we have of him is his baptism on 20 March 1826 in Queenborough, Kent. …

Between 1804 and 1853 the British Government transported around 76,000 convicts to the colony of Van Diemen’s Land (now called Tasmania). One of those was Matthew Fagg, a farm labourer and hop grower from Barham in Kent. Matthew was born in the village of Barham in 1822 and christened in the local parish church of St John on 14 April …

James Augustus WILLIS (1865 – c1931) – According to family legend, James “went to Australia when he was about 20 years old and was never heard of after that!” Passenger lists show a James A Willis left London on 21 September 1886 and disembarked in Mackay in Queensland, Australia on 17 November that year. He was 22 years old and …

William Frederick HARVEY (1905-1994) – travelled the world visiting the Klondike Goldfields (too late), the Suez Canal and then Australia. He become involved with his brother George in a diamond mine but lacked investment. He broke his hip in the Outback and was brought back to Sydney by camel, travelling for 10 days, then returned home – being semi-crippled for …